Value Chain Prioritization
Expert workshop on Fonio (Digitaria exilis) and Jute Mallow (Corchorus olitorius) value chains in Northern Benin, November 2025
Cory Whitney
As part of an expert workshop in November 2025 we determined potential interventions and objectives for Fonio (Digitaria exilis) and Jute Mallow (Corchorus olitorius) value chains. We conducted card-based voting (1=low, 2=medium, 3=high impact). We normalized the responses using Percentage of Maximum Possible (POMP) scoring (Cohen et al. 1999) to account for participation rates and enable cross-intervention comparison. We chose the approach to simplify the rating of relationships between objectives, aligning with established participatory methods in rural development (Chambers 1994) and stakeholder engagement metrics (Reed 2009). The work was facilitated by a decision modeling team, including 13 researchers (3 academics, 3 nutritionists, 7 research institution members).
The expert elicited information clarifies what actors in these value chains care about, and what they agree are possible leverage points or interventions to improve the value chains. The voting data clarifies their perception of the strength of the interaction between the interventions and their impact on the outcomes. The bubble graphs show relationships between the mean value for impact and feasibility. Income generation, for example, is considered impact whereas conflict reduction is related to feasibility. The reasoning is related to Keeney’s methods for group decision making (Ralph L. Keeney 2013) and defining objectives (Ralph L. Keeney 2021). This categorization separates what interventions aim to achieve (impact) from how readily they can be implemented (feasibility), supporting balanced decision-making that considers both potential benefits and practical constraints.
Value Chain Prioritization for Fonio (Digitaria exilis)
Impact Assessment
An overview of the impact assessment for the Fonio, Digitaria exilis (Kippist) Stapf, value chain, for black and white varieties. Interventions and objectives were identified through expert consultation with 55 participants (16 agricultural institutions, 10 Farmers, 9 consumers, 7 processors, 7 traders, 3 transporters, 4 restaurants and 2 import suppliers). After a day of discussion the experts agreed on a long list of objectives and interventions and then reduced these to the most important:
Interventions Retained / Interventions Retenues
- Advocacy - Plaidoyer des acteurs de la filière fonio auprès du gouvernement et des Partenaires Techniques et Financiers (PTF) pour le développement d’un Plan National de Développement de la Filière (PNDF) Fonio
- Improved varieties - Amélioration des variétés
- Public awareness - Sensibilisation de la population sur les valeurs nutritionnelles et thérapeutiques du fonio
- Processing equipment - Renforcement, développement et/ou acquisition des équipements agro-alimentaires
- Production training - Formation des acteurs sur les bonnes pratiques de production du fonio
- Exchange - Création d’un cadre de concertation des acteurs de la chaîne de valeur fonio
- Business & credit - Appui aux acteurs pour l’élaboration de plans d’action et l’accès au financement
- Production equipment - Mécanisation des opérations culturales du fonio
- Farm practices - Actualisation des itinéraires de production et renforcement des capacités techniques
Associated Objectives / Objectifs Associés
- Income & livelihoods - Augmenter la productivité et la production du fonio (améliorer les revenus)
- Nutrition & health - Amener la population à consommer davantage le fonio (améliorer la nutrition)
- Production & processing - Améliorer les équipements de transformation (réduire la pénibilité)
- Equity - Harmoniser les prix au niveau communautaire et national (équité de la chaîne)
- Ecology - Préserver les ressources naturelles (biodiversité, sols, eau, lutte contre l’érosion)
- Social Inclusion - Promouvoir le genre et l’inclusion sociale
Comprehensive Impact Matrix Heatmap
This shows the complete assessment - both the stakeholder priorities (weights) and intervention impacts.
Bubble Chart - “Impact vs Feasibility (Weighted Composite)” D. exilis
The next step was to categorize variables into those related to ‘impact’ and those related to ‘feasibility’:
Impact objectives measure the potential benefits and positive outcomes of interventions: - Income & livelihoods and Nutrition & health represent core development impacts on wellbeing - Ecology captures environmental benefits that contribute to long-term sustainability
Feasibility objectives assess practical implementation considerations: - Production & processing evaluates technical and operational practicality - Equity and Social Inclusion address social and institutional implementation factors
This chart shows the relationship between impact and feasibility for each intervention option, with a weighted composite average score for each. Bubble size represents the total weighted composite score.
Comparative score composition D. exilis
Comparative investment map D. exilis
# Comparative
investment map by Gender D. exilis
Fonio in Boukoumbe
Fonio in Natitingou
##Value Chain Prioritization for Jute Mallow (Corchorus olitorius)
Impact Assessment
An overiew of the impact assessment for the Jute Mallow, Corchorus olitorius L., value chain. Interventions and objectives were identified through expert consultation with 50 participants (13 producers, 9 traders, 2 transporters, 2 restaurant owners, 1 processor, 1 micro-financer, 4 consumers, 5 NGOs, 4 administrative authorities, 7 agricultural institutions, 2 import suppliers). After a day and a half of very lively discussion (translated between several local languages and French) the experts agreed on a long list of objectives and interventions and then reduced these to the most important:
Interventions Retained / Interventions Retenues
- Code awareness - Sensibilisation des acteurs (producteurs et éleveurs) sur le code agro-pastorale
- Public awareness - Sensibilisation sur les valeurs nutritionnelles du crincrin
- Agroecology - Promotions de l’agro écologie pour la restauration des sols
- Capacity building - Formation des acteurs de transformations sur les techniques de conservation et transformation des feuilles de crincrin
- Improved varieties - Mise en place d’un système de qualité pour l’obtention du crincrin de qualité
- Business & credit - Formation sur la gestion d’entreprise
- Infrastructure - Mise en place des systèmes d’irrigation
- Storage - Formation des producteurs sur la gestion des ravageurs et de l’eau
Associated Objectives / Objectifs Associés
- Income & livelihoods - Améliorer le revenu
- Nutrition & health - Améliorer la nutrition
- Equity - Equitabilité de la chaîne de valeur
- Ecology - Protection des ressources naturelles
- Reduce conflict - Conflits entre agriculteurs et éleveurs
- Stakeholders agency - Capacité d’exécution des acteurs
Comprehensive Impact Matrix Heatmap C. olitorius
This shows the complete assessment - both the stakeholder priorities (weights) and intervention impacts.
Bubble Chart - “Impact vs Feasibility (Weighted Composite)” C. olitorius
The next step was to categorize variables into those related to ‘impact’ and those related to ‘feasibility’:
Impact objectives measure the direct benefits and development outcomes: - Income & livelihoods, Nutrition & health, and Equity represent core wellbeing improvements for communities - Ecology captures environmental benefits and sustainable resource management
Feasibility objectives assess implementation enablers and constraints: - Reduce conflict addresses critical social and operational barriers to implementation - Stakeholders agency evaluates the capacity and readiness of actors to execute interventions
This chart shows the relationship between impact and feasibility for each intervention option, with a weighted composite average score for each. Bubble size represents the total weighted composite score.
Comparative score composition C. olitorius
Comparative investment map C. olitorius
# Comparative
investment map by Gender C. olitorius
crincrin in Boukoumbe
crincrin in Natitingou
